Billiard and pool table construction



Aug. 2, 1966 D. H. BRAUN BILLIARD AND POOL TABLE CONSTRUCTION 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 2, 1965 INVENTOR. DAVID H. BRAUN 1966 D. H. BRAUN 3,263,996

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INVENTOR. DAVID H. BRAUN Aug. 2, 1966 D. H. BRAUN BILLIARD AND POOL TABLE CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 2, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 9 l LL INVENTOR. DAVID H. BRAUN 2, 1966 D. H. BRAUN 3,263,996

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PEI I m1 4 INVENTOR. DAVID H. BRAUN United States Patent 3,263,996 BILLIARD AND POOL TABLE CONSTRUCTION David H. Braun, Miami, Fla., assignor to All Tech Industries, Inc., Hialeah, Fla., a corporation of Florida Filed Oct. 2, 1963, Ser. No. 313,284 Claims. (Cl. 2733) This invention relates in general to billiard and pool tables and more particularly to the construction of a billiard-pool table possessing great permanent rigidity with relatively light weight and low manufacturing cost. I Billiard-pool tables prior to this invention usually comprised frame construction utilizing heavy wooden members of large cross section or incorporated expensive metal castings with an attendant high fabrication cost for obtaining the desired rigidity and for attaining the required near-perfect planar upper surface for playing.

The above objections and disadvantages in excessive weight and cost is greatly reduced in the present table construction by utilizing reinforcing plywood members in a bridging formation which provides great rigidity and permanence at relatively low material and fabrication cost and is a principal object of the invention.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a billiard-pool table in which the main frame is comprised of a plurality of intersecting plywood beams arranged to support a playing platform of great rigidity and an accurate planar surface for retaining a rigid playing surface comprising a plurality of slate slabs rather than the more expensive one piece slab.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a table having intersecting bridge construction for supporting a playing top including external ornamental components made of relatively thin molded resin-fiberglass.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a pool table in which the principal components are assembled by bolt fasteners thus providing for relatively simple dis-assembly and convenient moving or shipping.

These and other objects and advantages are described and shown in the following specification and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the table in reduced scale with a top portion thereof broken away.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the base frame assembly of the table.

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the table shown FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional end elevation taken through section line 4--4, FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevation taken through section line 5-5, FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of the table shown FIG. 1, with a portion broken away.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross sectional end elevation taken through section line 77, FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken through section line 8-8, FIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 1, a plan view of the pool table shows a rail member 1 surrounding the playing area of the table and having a cross sectional shape shown in FIG. 4, with supports for conventional cushions 2.

The upper playing surface of the table is covered with felt fabric 3 which is placed directly on a planar slate slab 4 which is formed by joining three rectangular slabs 4a, 4b, and 40 with the two junctions thereof joined by dowels 5, as shown. A relatively thin one-piece plywood board 6 is placed directly under the slate slab as a floor therefor and is firmly supported by a base and bed formation to be hereinafter described. The table includes conventional corner and side pockets 7 and 8.

Referring to FIG. 2, the main base assembly of the table includes a pair of hollow legs 9 with a longitudinal beam 10 bolted centrally therebetween.

The base is supported by adjustable feet 11 which are the subject matter of applicants pending patent application, serial number 291,105.

Referring to FIGS. 5, 7, and 8, each leg member 9 includes one pair of substantially vertical posts 12 and 13 which are secured in their upper ends by a pair of adjacent cross member plywood spacers 14, as shown in FIG. 7. The lower ends of posts 12 and 13 have like metal foot brackets 15 secured therein which also support a pair of adjacent plywood spacers 16, as shown. A truss member 17 is anchored to the extreme lower ends of posts 12 and 13 and along a central junction X, as shown. A pair of central vertical members 18 and 19, shown in FIG. 8, are secured between plates 14 and 16, which are shaped to retain the outside sheeting 20 and 21 which is also secured to the outer surfaces of posts 12 and 13, as shown in FIG. 8.

Referring to FIGS. 2, 4, 5, and 8, the beam 10 is formed by a fabricated structure of a pair of horizontal plywood members 22 joined by five plywood spacers 23 which form a substantially rigid beam. The beam is secured at each end to the end supports by bolts 24 through the vertical members 18, as shown. Since both end supports are identical in construction and attachment to beam 10 the description of the base assembly is complete.

A rigidized box bed having ends 25 and sides 26 and a bottom 27 is provided with two pair of parallel intersecting lateral members 28-28 and 29--29.

The intersection of these internal members is made by half and half mortising or by other well known tongue and groove means.

The bed is secured to the base by four bolts 30 though the bottom thereof and through each of the plates 14 in each of the end supports. These junctions are reinforced by flat metal plates 31 mortised into the upper plate 14, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7. A skeleton frame 32 of plywood is secured to all top edges of the box and the transverse members in order to provide T sections along all upper edges of the bed and the transverse members and to form a planar cap on which the plywood floor 6 is laid for supporting the slate slab 4, which is formed by coplanar parts a, b, and c.

It is now apparent that the bed assembly is inherently rigid and highly resistant to any twisting or bending forces.

The outer rail 1, the plywood floor 6 and the slate slabs are secured to the frame 32 by eight bolts 33 therethrough which extend through the overhanging outer margin of frame 32 near each corner as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

For ornamental purposes the counter bores for the heads of the bolts 33 are plugged, since it is necessary to have the upper surfaces of the rail 1 entirely smooth.

Referring to FIGS. 3, 4, 5, and 6, a metal molding 34 is secured to the four outside edges of rail 1 by well known screw means, not shown, and an overhanging ornamental apron member 35, preferably made of fiberglass, is secured to each side of the table by a tongue and groove engagement 36 along upper edges thereof and by metal brackets 37 retaining the lower edges thereof to the ends 25 and sides 26 of the box.

Conventional felt covered rubber cushions are secured to the inner edges of all rails 1 by well known means.

It is now apparent that the bed structure supported by the base and end legs constructed as described presents a structure of great rigidity and highly resistant to bending and torsional stresses, and not relatively subject to age loosening.

The plywood is preferably of the seven ply variety and all permanent junctions are secured with waterproof glue and metal fasteners.

It is also apparent that the use of plywood not only presents great resistance to warping, but provides a structure of relatively low manufacturing cost.

Certain modifications in the above construction, utilizing the features described, are intended to come within I the scope of the appended claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A pool table comprising a base assembly including a longitudinal beam means centrally secured between a pair of end support members forming like legs, a rectangular bed having a rigid bottom and a pair of like sides and ends of equal height symmetrically secured to the upper side of said base assembly, a pair of spaced longitudinal support members positioned in said bed parallel to and equi-spaced from said sides with the upper edges there-of co-pl-anar with the upper edges of said sides, a pair of spaced transverse support members intersecting said first mentioned support members and positioned parallel to and equi-spaced from said ends with the upper edges thereof co-planar with the upper edges of said ends, a frame means of uniform thickness secured on the upper edges of said sides and said ends and said support members for rigidizing said bed, a floor of uniform thickness superposed on and secured to said frame means, a plurality of stone slabs of uniform thickness doweled together in edge to edge relation on said floor whereby said base assembly and said bed assembly and said floor assembly provide a rigid support for holding said stone slabs in co-planar relation against bending and torsional forces applied to said table.

2. The construction recited in claim 1 including a rail means on the outer marginal surfaces of said slabs, a plurality of spaced fasteners for securing said rail means through said slabs at the marginal surfaces thereof to said frame means.

3. The construction recited in claim 2 including an ornamental apron means secured about the upper edges thereof to the outer periphery of said rail means and inwardly depending toward and secured to each of said sides and ends.

4. In a pool table of the character described a base, a rectangular box-like bed having a plywood bottom and a pair of plywood sides and ends of equal height secured to the upper side of said base, said bed having a pair of intersecting plywood support members secured therein with each of said members in parallel spaced relation to said sides and said ends respectively with the upper edges thereof co-planar with the upper edges of said sides and said ends, a plywood frame means of uniform thickness secured to the upper edges of said sides and said ends and said members, a plywood floor member of uniform thickness superposed on and secured to said frame means, a plurality of stone slabs positioned in end to end co-planar relation superposed on and secured to said bed whereby 'said slabs are resistant to torsional and bending stresses applied to said bed.

5. The construction recited in claim 4 wherein said base comprises a longitudinal beam centrally secured between a pair of parallel positioned leg members, the upper surfaces of said beam and said leg members positioned in co-planar relation for supporting said pool table bed, said beam comprising a pair of main plywood members secured in a substantially vertical parallel spaced relation by a plurality of spacers positioned therebetween in spaced parallel relation normal to said main members, each of said leg members comprising a pair of substantially parallel spaced plywood plates secured on opposite sides of a stress member along each of the four marginal edges of said plates.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 130,389 8/1872 Prindle 273-6 145,533 12/ 1873 Schulenburg 2733 1,3 17,768 10/ 1919 Trieber et al 2733 2,391,395 12/ 1945 Debicki 273-6 DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner.

M. R. PAGE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A POOL TABLE COMPRISING A BASE ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A LONGITUDINAL BEAM MEANS CENTRALLY SECURED BETWEEN A PAIR OF END SUPPORT MEMBER FORMING LIKE LEGS, A RECTANGULAR BED HAVING A RIGID BOTTOM AND A PAIR OF LIKE SIDES AND ENDS OF EQUAL HEIGHT SYMMETRICALLY SECURED TO THE UPPER SIDE OF SAID BASE ASSEMBLY, A PAIR OF SPACED LONGITUDINAL SUPPORT MEMBERS POSITIONED IN SAID BED PARALLEL TO AND EQUI-SPACED FROM SAID SIDES WITH THE UPPER EDGES THEREOF CO-PLANAR WITH THE UPPER EDGES OF SAID SIDES, A PAIR OF SPACED TRANSVERSE SUPPORT MEMBERS INTERSECTING SAID FIRST MENTIONED SUPPORT MEMBERS AND POSITIONED PARALLEL TO AND EQUI-SPACED FROM SAID ENDS WITH THE UPPER EDGES THEREOF CO-PLANAR WITH THE UPPER EDGES OF SAID ENDS, A FRAME MEANS OF UNIFORM THICKNESS SECURED ON THE UPPER EDGES OF SAID SIDES AND SAID ENDS AND SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS FOR RIGIDIZING SAID BED, A FLOOR OF UNIFORM THICKNESS SUPERPOSED ON AND SECURED TO SAID FRAME MEANS, A PLURALITY OF STONE SLABS OF UNIFORM THICKNESS DOWELED TOGETHER IN EDGE TO EDGE RELATION ON SAID FLOOR WHEREBY SAID BASE ASSEMBLY AND SAID BED ASSEMBLY AND SAID FLOOR ASSEMBLY PROVIDE A RIGID SUPPORT FOR HOLDING SAID STONE SLABS IN CO-PLANAR RELATION AGAINST BEINDING AND TORSIONAL FORCES APPLIED TO SAID TABLE. 